Control system for traveling platforms



y 1952 J. G. CAILLARD 2,601,831

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR TRAVELING PLATFORMS Filed Jan. 9, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I/ws u raa:

c/EM 64-07mmdam/mm July 1, 1952 J. G. CAILLARD CONTROL SYSTEM FOR TRAVELING PLATFORM 1S Filed Jan. 9, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 EAN GEORGA'S CA/LL/m @Wy y Jul 1,1952 J. G. CAILLARD 2,601,331

V CONTROL SYSTEM FOR TRAVELING PLATFORMS Filed Jan 1946 Y 4 sfieet -sheei s 7' fig-4 70 'W W X F I l i I/ ms/wvF-r UE/M/ GZWRGES (A/44,42 3? July 1, 1952 J. G. CAILLARD I I 2,601,831

CONTROL.- SYSTEM FOR TRAVELING PLATFORMS I Filed Jan. 9, 1946 I I H 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INK/5mm) 7 am, 65mg CA/LLARD ter.

Patented July 1, 1952 CONTROL SYSTEM FOR TRAVELING PLATFORMS J ean Georges Caillard, Le Havre, I rance Application January 9, 1946, Serial No. 640,079 In France September 3, 1940.

Section 1, Public Law 690, August s, 1946 Patent expires September 3, 1960 '7 Claims.

The travelling platforms generally used in railway stations and engine houses for transferring engines or vehicles from one track to another include a platform provided with rails and adapted to move through the agency of rollers over guideways or races perpendicular to the stationary tracks to be served. Certain of the rollers used therefor are controlled through an electric motor while the other rollers are mounted loose on their axes.

'This leads unavoidably to a skidding of the rollers over their races whereby the axes of the rollers do not remain perfectly perpendicular to said races. Moreover; by reason of the comparetively high speed of the platform it is very difficult to stop exactly the carriage at the desired location in order to provide for an accurate register between the rails of the platform and the rails of the stationary tracks to beserved.

My invention has for its object a system for controlling traveling platforms whereby it is possible to bring rapidly and accurately the rails of the platform into alignment with the rails of the stationary tracks.

According to this invention, there is inserted between the principal motor of the platform and the control rollers in'each side row of rollers a dilierential mechanism one element of which is connected operatively with an auxiliary motor,

which allows bringing slowly the corresponding side of the platform into coaxial relationship with the track to be served.

Such an arrangement of the platform may be associated with a device for stopping automatically the platform exactly in theposition of regis- To this end the circuit feeding each auxiliary motor includes preferably switches controlled by stationary cams so as to produce the rotation of the auxiliary motors in a suitable direction until concordance is restored.

In accompanying drawing I have illustrated by way of example a form of execution of my invehtion;

Fig. 1 is'a plan view of a traveling platform provided with a control system according to my 1 invention.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding elevational view along line II-II of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 shows the arrangement for driving the shafts or axes of two oppositely located rollers.

Figs. i and show by way of example an arrangement which may be used for the automatic control of the traveling platform. Fig. 4 is an elevational view along line IV- -IV of Fig. l and Fig. 5 a vertical cross section of the carriage through line V---V of Fig. 4.

- 2 Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram of the connections of the driving device.

The travelling platform shown in Fig. 1 comprises chiefly two master beams I and 2 fresting on flanges 3 and 4 provided at their ends with rollers shown at 5, 6, 1 and 8; the rollers 5and 1 on one hand and the rollers 6 and 8 on the other are adapted to move over races 9 perpendicular to the stationary tracks which are to be served; the frame ll of the traveling platform carries rails I 0, the spacing between which is equal to that of the stationary tracks such as 30, which are adapted to receive the engine or railway carriages other.

Two rollers, say rollers 5 and 6, arranged to one side of the beams l and 2 on the'platform are controlled by a motor While the other rollers l and 8 on the other side are mounted loose. V

The two rollers 5 and 6 are controlled by a or tracks to be transferred from one track to the common principal motor l2 resting on an exten sion Ha of the frame H and driving a pulley 13 which is held fast in its inoperative position 'by means of=an electromagnetic brake [3a. This motor drives through the speed reducing gears the roller 5 is arranged a diflferential mechanism including a sunwheel23 rigid with the shaft l8 and a sunwheel 24 rigid with the shaft 22, said sunwheels 23 and 24 meshing respectively with planetwheels 26 and 25 carried by a rotary cage 21 the bearings for which are shown at 2B and 29 (Fig. 3).

The cage 2? is provided with an outer series of teeth 32 meshing with a pinion 33 keyed to the shaft of an auxiliary electric motor 34 the rotor of which isprovided with a pulley 35 adapted to be engaged by an electro-magnetic brake 35a.

The shaft 42 controlling. the roller 6 is driven in the same manner through the agency of a differential mechanism comprising a sunwheel 43 fixed on shaft l8, and a sunwheel 44 fixed on'shaft 42, these sunwheels gearing respectively with satellite pinions 46 and 45, the shafts of which are supported by a rotary cage 41, mounted in bearings 48 and 49.

spring or the like means.

The traveling platform progresses then at normal speed over its races 9.

On the contrary, when the motor I2 is stopped and held fast as well as one of the auxiliary motors, such as the motor 34 while the other auxiliary motor alone is operative, the shaft 42 is driven slowly together with the roller 6, which provides for a slow progression of the corre sponding side of the traveling platform.

Lastly, if the motor [2 is stopped and held fast by its brake while the auxiliary motors'34 and 54 are controlled either in the same direction or in opposite direction, the rollers 5 and 6 are driven either in the same direction or in opposite directions, so as to produce the slow displacement of each end of the carriage.

'It is thus possible to bring each end of the traveling platform in front of the stationary track cooperating-with the platform, the auxiliary motors being adapted to drive the corresponding rollers 5 and 6 over the length required for obtaining exact concordance as desired.

The above described system may be provided with a control arrangement for producing the automatic complementary shifting as required for making the ends of the rails I0 of the track carried by the platform register with the rails of the cooperating track. Such an arrangement, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is provided at each end of the platform.

To either side of the vertical plane of symmetry 0-8 of each stationary track cooperating with the platform are arranged stationary guide-pieces orcams 6| and 62 or 61a and 62a extending in parallelism with the race of the carriage. These cams are carried by brackets 63 and 64 sealed inside the vertical wall 60 or 680. of the pit inside which the platform is adapted to move.

' The platform carries a first switch 65 or 65a normally urged into its opening position by a This switch inserted in the circuit of one of the auxiliary motors 34 or 54 is arranged in a manner such that it may be engaged by the cam 6| or 61a when the platform comes nearthe position of concordance, so as to provide for the closing of the switch 65 or 65a and to produce the rotation of the motor 34 or 54 in the desired direction.

. Another switch 66 or 66a similar to switch 65 or 65a and carried also by the platform is adapted toengage the cam 62 or 62a so as to provide for the energization of the motor 34 or 54 in a direction opposed to the preceding energization.

The operation of this automatic control arrangement is as follows:

. The principal motor [2 being stopped and held I back for a position of the platform as near as possible, the position of concordance, it may be assumed for instance that at the end of the platform near the roller 5, each of the rails I0 lies at a distance d from the corresponding rail l 30 of the stationary track. The distance d being supposed shorter than the length of the cams (i l and 62, the switch 65, coming on the cam BI is closed, and consequently the closing of said switch 65 thus operated produces the rotation of the auxiliary motor 34 in the direction adapted to make the corresponding end of the platform move in the direction of the arrow F. When the I8 and the rails 38.

Figure 6 gives the diagram of the electric connections which can be made for operating the motors of the system as well as their locking brakes.

On this diagram, is seen the symbolic representations of the principal motor [2 and the auxiliary motors 34 and 54. Also is seen at I3, 35 and 55 their brake pulleys, and at 13a, 35a and 55a, the, corresponding brake mechanisms. Lastly, the cams 6!, 62, Bio and 62a, are shown, as well as the end contact breakers of the carriage 65, 66, 55a and 66a.

The current, which is here supposed to be three-phase, necessary for feeding the motors, is first supplied to three mains C1, C2 and C3 by any known means, such as a triple trolley (not shown).

The principal motor I2 is fed in the following manner: three conductors 8|], 8! and 82 deriving from the mains C1, C2 and C3, finish at a threepole'contact maker 11, operated by a solenoid 83. When this contact maker is in the closed position, the conductors 80, 8| and 82 are respectively connected up to three conductors 84, 85 and 86 which finish directly at the terminals of the motor l2.

Three other conductors 81, 88 and 89 derived from theconductors 84, 85 and 86 reach a threepole contact maker 78, operated by a solenoid 90. When this contact maker is in the closed position, the conductors 81, 88 and 89 are connected up to three conductors 9|, 92 and 93, respectively connected to the mains C1,;C3 and C2, i. 6., with inversion of phases with regard to the connections described in the preceding paragraph.

This arrangement means that when the contact maker 11 is closed and the contact maker 18 is open, the motor 12 revolves in one' direction,

whereas if the contact maker 18 is closed and the contact maker 11 is open, the motor l2 revolves in the opposite direction.

Three other conductors 94, 95 and 96 arerpermanently connected in derivation on the conductors 84', 85 and 8B'which finish at the motor l2. These conductors 94, 95 and 96 feed the three windings of a three-phase electro-magnet l3b whose movable armature is integral to the brake mechanism I311. This arrangement means that when the motor I2 is fed by closing a contact maker 11 or 18, the electromagnet I3?) is excited and its movable armature diverges the brake mechanism l3a from the-pulley [3. hand, as soon as the motor [2 ceases to be fed, owing to the two contact makers I1 and 18 being placed in the'openposition, the electromagnet 1 3b ceases to be excited and the brake mechanism i311, released, falls back on the pulley [3 by gravity or under the impulse of a suitable spring, so effectually that not only is the motor [2 stopped, but it is also looked.

It is easy to understand from the diagram that the connections of the auxiliary motors 34 and 54, as well as those of their respective brakes 35a and 55a, are in all points similar to those which have just been described with regard to the principal motor [2 and its brake 13a. In other Words, the motor 34 and its brake 35a, are placed under the dependence of two three-pole contact makers 67 and 68, and in like manner, the control of the On the other 1 I. heated by a conductor l I2 to the contact breaker motor 54 and its brake 55a, is ensured by the intermediary of two. three-pole contact makers 91 and 98. The contact makers 61 and 68 are respectively operated by two solenoidsBS and 10. and the contact makers 91 and 98, by two solenoids 99 and I00. V

The six solenoids 83, 90, 69, 10, 09 and I00 are fed with monophase current by the intermediary of a controller 1|, hand operated by the carriage operator.

To this end, the solenoids 83 and 90 are, on the one hand, placed in series by a conductor IOI, itself permanently connected up to the main C2 by. a derivation conductor I02. On the other hand, the solenoid 83 is connected up by a conductor I03 to a contact piece I04 of the controller H and the solenoid 00 is connected up by a conductor IGEto a contact piece IilB- of the controller. Lastly, an intermediate contact piece I01 of this controller is connected up by a conductor I08 to the conductor 80, i. e., to the main C1.

The solenoids 69 and are placed in circuit bya conductor I09, itself connected up by a conductor I I0 to a contact piece I I I of the controller On the other hand, the solenoid 69 is con- 65 of which the other terminal is connected by a conductor I I3 to the main C1 and the solenoid 10 is connected up by a conductor I I4 to the contact breaker 66 of which the other terminal is connected by a conductor II5 to the conductor H3 and then to the main C1.

In like manner, the solenoids 99 and I00 are placed in circuit by a conductor II6 itself connected up by a conductor II1 to the conductor H0 and the contact piece III of the controller. On the other hand, the solenoid 99 is connected up by a conductor I 8 to the contact breaker 65a, whose other terminal is connected by a conductor H9 to the main C1 and the solenoid I00 is connected up by a conductor I20 to the contact breaker 60a whose other terminal is connected by a conductor IIS to the conductor H9 and then to the main C1.

"Lastly, a last contact piece IZI ofthe controller is connected up by a conductor I22 to the main C3.

On the movable cylinder of the controller 1I there are three studs I23, I24 and I25, cooperating with certain of the contact pieces described above, respectively for the positions conventionally indicated by I, 2 and 3.

The operation of the connections thus decontact with the contact pieces, all the circuits of the solenoids of the contactors are open and the three motors I2, 35 and 54 are motionless.

Position I of the controller: The stud I23 is in contact with the contact pieces I04 and 01. The excitation circuit of the solenoids 83 is closed and the contact maker 11 is at the closed position; the brake I3a is released and the principal motor revolves in one direction. The traverse carriage moves at high speed on the rails 5 and 9a.

When the carriage reaches the vicinity of the track 30 to be served, one of the contact breakers ,of each end of the carriage mounts on one of the cams (for example, the contact breaker 85 on the cam BI and the contact breaker 66a on the cam 62a, which takes place when, for some reason or other, the carriage assumes an oblique position).

The operator then places the controller at the 6 the two solenoids 83 and 90 are open, because there is no stud in contact with the-contact piece I01. The motor I2 stops and the brake mechanism I3a locks it. In return, as-the stud: I24 is in contact with the two contact pieces III and I2I, and as (according to the preceding paragraph) the contact breakers 65 on the one hand and 66a on the other, are in the closed position, the solenoids 69 and I00 are excited and the contact makers 61 and 98 are. placed in the closed position. i This means that the brake mechanisms 35a and 55a are released and the motors 34 and 54 revolve, one in one direction and the other in the opposite direction, so that the corresponding ends of the platform; of the carriage are moved slowly, until the contact breakers 65 and. 65a quit their respective cams SI. and 62a, i. e.,until' the traverse carriage presents both ends of its rails I0 in absolute concordance with the rails of the tracks 30 to be served. At this moment, thecontact breakers 85 and 66a open and the solenoids B9 and I00 being no longer excited, the contact makers 61 and 98 return to the open position, so that the motors 3d and 54 stop and are lockedby their respective brake mechanisms 35a and 55a.

Position 30f the controller 1|: Only contact pieces I06 and I01 are electrically connected up by the stud I25, the motors 34 and 55 remaining motionless, the solenoid of the contactmaker 18 is excited and this contact maker placed in the closed position. The brake mechanism is di-- verted from the pulley l3 and the principal motor 12 is rotated in the opposite direction to that corresponding to position I of the controller. The traverse carriage thus returns at high speed towards the position which it previously occupied.

The operator then puts the controllerll back to position 2, or, if required, to position 0, and so on. i I

Obviously the diiierent arrangements described and illustrated have been given out solely by Way of examples and it is possible in particular to modify the diiierential mechanisms inserted between the principal motor and the controlled rollers together with the means acting on said differential mechanisms without unduly Widening the scope of my invention as defined in accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the car to be traversed, rollers supporting the ends of the platform and running on rails perpendicular to the tracks to be served, a principal electric motor, means for positively locking the rotor of this motor, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of the other end of the platform; a connecting mechanismcomprised between this rotor and each of the two transmission shafts and auxiliary means acting on eachflof these mechanisms to make these transmission shafts revolve independently of each otherand independently of the rotor of theprincipal'motor.

2. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the car to be traversed, rollers supporting the ends of the platform and running on rails perpendicular to the tracks to be served, a principal electric motor, means for positively locking the rotor of this motor, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of the other end of the platform, a differential mechanism comprised between this rotor and each of the two transmission shafts and auxiliary'means acting on each of these differential mechanisms to cause these transmission shafts to revolve independently of each other, after the locking of the rotor of the principal motor.

3. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the car to be traversed, rollerssupporting the ends of the platform and running on rails perpendicular to the tracks to be served, a principal electric motor, means for positively locking the rotor of this motor, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of the other end of the platform, a differential mechanism comprised between this rotor and each of the two transmission shafts, an auxiliary electric motor connected to each of the differential mechanisms and means for positively locking the rotor of each of the two auxiliary electric motors.

4. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the car to be traversed, rollers supporting the ends of the platform and running on rails perpendicular to the tracks to be served, a principal electric motor, an electromagnetic brake cooperating with the rotor of this motor and arranged so as to come into action as w soon as the motor ceases to be fed, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of the other end of the platform, a diiferentialmechanism comprised between this rotor and each of the two transmission shafts, an auxiliary electric motor connected to each of the differential mechanisms and an electro-magnetic brake cooperating with the rotor of each auxiliary motor and arranged so as to come into action as soon as this auxiliary motor ceases to be fed.

5. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the car to be traversed, rollers supporting the ends of the platform and running on rails perpendicular to the track to be served, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller at one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller at the other end of the platform, a principal electric motor, an intermediate shaft operated by the rotor of this motor, a sun pinion fixed at each end of this intermediate shaft, a sun pinion at one end of each transmission shaft, a rotatable cage containing satellite pinions cooperating with each pair of sun pinions, a concentric toothed wheel carried by said cage, an auxiliary electric motor connected to said concentric toothed wheel, and means for individually locking the rotor of each of the principal and auxiliary motors.

6. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the car to be traversed, rollers supporting the ends of the platform and running on rails perpendicular to the track to be served, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller at the other end of the platform, a principal electric motor connected to these two transmission shafts for simultaneously moving both ends of the platform, two auxiliary electric motors each connected to one of the two transmission shafts, an electric circuit for making each auxiliary motor to revolve in one direction and a second circuit to make each auxiliary motor revolve' in the other direction, a contact breaker inserted in each electric circuit, a fixed cam placed on the course of each contact breaker, opposite each of the tracks to be served, so as to act on this contact breaker and thus cause the corresponding auxiliary motor to revolve, until there is absolute concordance between the section of track of the platform and the track to be served.

7. A traverse carriage for transferring cars from one track to another, comprising in combination, a platform, a section of track fitted on the platform to receive the cars to be traversed, rollers supportingthe ends of the platform, and running on rails perpendicular to the tracks to be served, a transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of one end of the platform, a second transmission shaft connected to at least one roller of the other end of the platform, a principal electric motor, an electro-magnetic brake cooperating with the rotor of this motor and arranged so as to lock this rotor as soon as the motor ceases to be fed, an intermediate shaft operated by this rotor, a sun pinion fixed at each end of this intermediate shaft, a sun pinion fixed at one end of each transmission shaft, a rotat able cage containing satellite pinions cooperating with each pair of sun pinions, a concentric toothed wheel carried by said cage, an auxiliary electric motor connected to said concentric toothed wheel, an electromagnetic brake cooperating with the rotor of each auxiliary motor and arranged so as to lock this rotor as soon as the motor ceases to be fed, an electric circuit for making each auxiliary motor revolve in one direction and a second electric circuitfor making each auxiliary motor revolve in the other direction, a contact breaker inserted in each electric circuit, a fixed cam placed in the course of each contact breaker opposite each of the tracks to be served, so as to act on this contact breaker and thus cause the corresponding auxiliary motor to revolve, until there is an absolute concordance between the section of track of the platform and the track to be served.

JEAN GEORGES CAILLARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,383,286 Burton July 5, 1921 2,294,485 Sorensen Sept. 1, 1942 

